Genevieve Green Gardens

Otherwise known as Ewing Manor. I did a photoshoot with a very photogenic family several hours ago and took these shots before the shoot began. I will post some of the shots from the shoot later but I hope you enjoy these fall shots. The colors are quickly fading away but I am glad we had some colors for the shoot today.

David

Allerton Park

I was cleaning off my hard drive and stumbled across these pictures that I took from a trip out to Allerton Park. It was is very beautiful park and also happens to be a popular location for weddings. Enjoy!

In Pursuit of Excellence

My oldest son is an incredible young man with a passion for people, doing his very best in everything he sets out to do and making those he comes in contact with feel special. He and I were at my youngest sons soccer game last weekend so while our little man wasn’t in the game, we had some time to play. I popped off a few shots of him in different moods and settings. As I was reviewing the pictures, this first shot really made me think about him and his future. I love all my kids and they are all very different and unique. Jaylen has qualities that I very much admire and I look forward to watching them mature in him.

Over the last 6 months we’ve had those Father-to-Son coaching moments which is usually initiated by his reaction to not doing as well as he’d like to with something. Early in the summer it was baseball and this past weekend it was basketball. I find myself using aspects of my life journey and the professional journeys of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods as I help him help himself in his “Pursuit of Excellence”. I have no doubt that he will be very successful in life and I spend a lot of time talking with him about the journey and the mental side of the pursuit. It’s what I admire most about Michael and Tiger and what I hold true to for myself as well. It’s also about how you treat people along the way and how that supports or deters from your destiny. That’s why it’s very important to be very cognizant of the people we surround ourselves with. The impact could propel you towards your destiny or be like that of building a house on a foundation of sand.

His struggle at times is patience and wanting to be the best right now!!. There are times I get frustrated with him because he’s too hard on himself and I have to handle it as such. Other times like last week, I focus on what he does well, build his confidence on that foundation and then shift the focus to those areas he wants to/needs to improve in. We usually end up laughing at the end, he’s pleased with the outcome and now it's about enabling him to self-manage his expectations and reactions in the event I’m not around or can’t speak to him 1-on-1. The good thing is that he looks for me in the crowd, knows how to read my facial expressions and body language and can take from that what he needs to do. Everything I do as his father is in love, always with sincere explanations and teaching to reassure him that my primary focus is on his happiness and him being satisfied in his “Pursuit of Excellence”. This was something I didn’t get enough of from my father and I am going to make sure all our kids get an adequate supply. Also, the pursuit and obtainment is not about sports but about life and giving your best while equipping yourself for the storms. Even though he’s only 12, we’ve talked about the concepts from the book “The Secret” as well as positive affirmations.

So, here’s to Jaylen (my biggest supporter and cheerleader) from your Dad (biggest fan, cheerleader, supporter and counselor). I LOVE you man!!!

Ewing Cultural Center

Not sure about the rest of the Midwest but we are getting eaten alive here in Central Illinois with these little bitty black bugs. I did a shoot out at Ewing Manor last weekend with a family and didn't know I would be on the menu until I started shooting. I wore a white Nike shirt and I was covered with these little bugs that can hold there own from a bite perspective with the big bugs. Nevertheless, I still got a few shots before my clients arrived. I will post more pictures from the shoot once I finish them.

David

Will it Go Round in Circles

Remember the Billy Preston song from 1972 "Will It Go Round in Circles?" Well it seem to fit as I first saw these circles a couple of weeks ago tomorrow. I was taking my son to the store to get some supplies for a science project; he got an "A" by the way. On my way in to the store, I noticed these very cool circles flanking the entrance of the store. I said to him, I need to do a shoot here or something. Well I took all three boys back that afternoon to take some quick shots. Well my daughter wants me to take her Senior Pictures so on the way home from picking her up from work, we stopped by the circles so could get a sense of her camera shyness or lack thereof in her case. There was no advance planning but I did have some ideas on how I wanted to position her and she did the rest. Not bad for 5 minutes worth of shooting. I plan on coming back here for an actual shoot but here are some shots of Toniya from our quick drive by.